Beefeater visitor centre to open

Pernod Ricard is to open a visitor centre at its Beefeater distillery in Kennington, London.

The France-headquartered company claims when 'Beefeater London – The Home of Gin' opens later this year, it will be the first gin distillery visitor centre in the UK capital.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the history of gin through “interactive showcases” and “see, touch and smell botanicals” used in production. There will also be a chance to witness distillation.

Pernod Ricard hopes the centre will be a “a major addition to London’s iconic tourist scene”.

Desmond Payne, Beefeater master distiller, said: “We have decided to push open the doors for the very first time and share some of those secrets with visitors to London, and locals, who are interested in seeing just how much expertise goes into making one of London’s most successful and famous brands.

“The Beefeater Gin Distillery is one of the city’s best kept secrets. This is a magnificent opportunity to celebrate the heritage of gin in London, something that has been at the heart of the capital’s history for more than three hundred years. I am proud that Beefeater will be the first distiller to tell the full story.”